Wednesday, March 31, 2010

TUF 11 started out with a bang, featuring highlights from 14 first round bouts. From the start, coach Chuck Liddell lets everyone know his dislike of opposing coach Tito Ortiz, calling him a "door knob." Come to MMA Blaster for coverage of season 11.

Jamie Yager def Ben Stark via KO (kick) R1, 0:26- Former BET Iron Ring contestant Jamie Yager came to the cage confident, sporting a sweet afro. Orthodox jew Ben Stark did not come out with the same attitude. Yager threw kick after kick before wobbling Stark and sending him to the canvas.(Jamie Yager pictured)

Brad Tavares def Jordan Smith via KO (strikes) R1, 0:37- Both fighters exchanged before Tavares caught a Smith kick. After Smith got out of the single leg, Tavares connected on a knee that sent Smith to the floor.

James Hammortree def Norman Paraisy via TKO (DNF) R1- Hammortree overwelmed Frenchman Paraisy with ground and pound throughout the first round. Paraisy could not answer the bell in the second round.

Nick Ring def Woody Weatherby via TKO- fight basically showed highlights that seemed to show Ring dominated the ground battle before forcing the ref to jump in.Kris McCray def Cleburn Walker via TKO (injury) R1- McCray looked like a beast in the cage, connecting on punches before an awesome lateral drop throw. After the throw, Walker was verbally tapping because of an injured shoulder from the toss. McCray landed an awesome backflip off a cage post after the victory.(Kris McCray pictured)

Kyle Noke def Warren Thompson via unanimous dec- Noke opened up a huge gash on Thompson in this fight, leaving a gushing cut on Thompson's brow. Highlights indicated that it was a one-sided fight in Noke's favor.

Court McGee def Seth Baczynski via unanimous dec- McGee got dropped in the first round by a punch, but came back using his wrestling to even the fight after two rounds, then won in the third.

Chris Camozzi def Victor O'Donnell via unanimous dec- Both fighters fought hard throughout this bout. Seemed like Camozzi got the better of the stand-up. However, O'Donnell's eye was swollen during the bout. O'Donnell may have suffered a broken orbital, otherwise he would be leading in the wild card bout.Joe Henle def Constantinos Philippou via sub (arm-bar) R2- Philippou dominated the first round, utilizing his boxing skills and stand-up. In the second, Henle utilized his jiu-jitsu, locking on an armbar to get into the TUF house.

Kyacey Uscola def Brent Cooper via knockout (punches) R1, 0:25- Uscola has a ton of fights on his resume, however he has stated he took too many fights on short notice. In this fight, Uscola dropped Cooper with a cross and uppercut, winning in brutal fashion.

Charles Blanchard def Jacen Flynn via TKO (referee stoppage) R1- Blanchard might be the shortest fighter in the competition, but looks can be deceiving. Blanchard outwrestled Flynn before laying some fierce ground and pound. After the bell sounded, Flynn couldn't see out of a swollen eye and the bout was stopped.

Ultimate Fight Night 21 brought some bigtime action in its two hour run-time. Roy "Big Country" Nelson firmly entrenched himself in the title picture with a big time knock out over Stefan Struve. Kenny Florian took a giant leap back into the lightweight title picture by submitting Pride legend Takanori Gomi.Kenny Florian def Takanori Gomi via sub (RNC) R1, 2:52- Florian looked crisp with his jab and boxing throughout the fight. Gomi routinely was outclassed, not being able to get his counter hook going.

In the third round, Florian got the fight to the ground, landed in mount, and got the rear naked choke for the victory. Florian may get a fight next with Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Tyson Griffin or George Sotiropoulos to get closer to a rematch with BJ Penn.*Florian wins submission of the night bonus

Roy Nelson def Stefan Struve via KO (strikes) R1, 0:39- Roy Nelson was throwing overhand rights from the start, landing a big one off of a Struve jab. Nelson's last punch landed flush, crumpling the 6'10 fighter to the canvas. Expect Nelson to get Cheick Kongo, Cro Cop, Pat Barry or a rematch with Ben Rothwell.*Nelson wins KO of the night bonus

Jorge Rivera def Nate Quarry via TKO (strikes) R2, 0:29- Jorge was able to work his right hand throughout the fight, smashing Quarry routinely in the chin. Quarry was content to throw leg kicks, but they didn't help. After being wobbled numerous times in the first, Rivera crumpled Quarry again in the second.

Ross Pearson def Dennis Siver via unanimous dec- In an entertaining bout that featured ample kickboxing, Ross Pearson was able to connect on more punches throughout the bout. Siver looked to be the more sloppy fighter, but did land one trademark spinning back kick during the bout. In the third, Ross sealed the win with a takedown.*Pearson and Siver win fight of the night bonuses

Gleison Tibau def Caol Uno via TKO (punches) R1, 4:13- Gleison dominated the entire fight from start to finish with his power punching. Uno looked to stay low and stick and move, but he was unable to avoid Tibau strikes.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Bellator Fighting Championships has been slowly leaking the participants to their 145, 155, 170 and 185 pound 8 man tournaments. The latest addition to the 155 pound tournament is the biggest name in the field so far, former UFC star Roger Huerta.

Roger Huerta's star rose after defeating Leonard Garcia in the UFC in a very entertaining, back and forth battle. Huerta's biggest victory date was his insane, action packed come from behind effort against Clay Guida. Despite being down 2 rounds on the scorecards, he was able to stun Guida before getting his back and locking in a rear naked choke.

Huerta would then be in a series of contract disputes, some acting roles in movies like Tekken and suffer two heartbreaking decisions to Gray Maynard and Kenny Florian. Huerta's goal will be to win the 155 pound Bellator tournament to guarantee a shot against last years winner, Eddie Alvarez.

It has been announced that Toby Imada is fighting Ferrid Kheder in the first round.

UFC's first debut on the Versus network produced an entertaining fireworks. On the undercard, John "Doomsday" Howard destroyed UFC newcomer Daniel Roberts with vicious ground and pound. Junior Dos Santos pushed even closer to a title shot and X put his name right and center in the UFC's 205 pound division.

In the first fight of the broadcast, Alessio Sakara landed a perfect right hand into James Irvin's eye socket causing a stoppage in the first round. James Irvin originally thought it was an eyepoke, but veteran UFC referee Josh Roshental made the correct call.

In undercard action, John Howard fought the undefeated Daniel Roberts. Roberts was able to get takedowns early, but eventually Howard unloaded a fury. Howards hit a high amplitude double leg takedown then slammed a heavy right hand KO'ing Roberts.

In the second match of the evening, Cheick Kongo dominated Paul "Headhunter" Buentello for three rounds before coaxing a tapout from the veteran kickboxer. Kongo was able to mix in a combination of takedowns, punches, elbows and knees.

Referee Herb Dean did an exceptional job refereeing the fight. He deducted a point from Cheick Kongo from a knee when Paul Buentello. In doing so, Dean gave Buentello ample time to recover. Buentello also dislocated a pinky finger and was allowed to continue after popping it back into place.

In the end, Kongo's relentless attack was to much for Buentello to handle. Elbows to the thigh eventally forced Buentello to submit. With the victory, expect Kongo to get a solid test in the form of the winner of Roy Nelson and Stephen Struve.

Junior Dos Santos took another step into the heavyweight title picture defeating veteran UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga. Dos Santos defended the takedown, loading up a mean right hand. Gonzaga landed a couple deadly leg kicks, but eventually let his guard down.

As Gonzaga threw a leg kick, Dos Santos fired a shot from hell, flooring Gonzaga, the BJJ blackbelt to the ground. A few more punches sealed the deal, and Gonzga was cooked. Dos Santos now will likely fight Cain Velasquez for a title shot.

In the main event, Jon "Bones" Jones inched his way closer to a 205 pound title shot. Jones looked to be the quicker fighter as he was able to land strikes and take down Brandon Vera. From there, Jones worked top control and threw some punches. Until Vera threw an upkick while Jones had a knee on the canvas.

Vera was deducted a point for the foul and Jones was given back position. From there, Bones Jones landed nasty left and right punches and elbows from Vera's guard with his big-time reach advantage. A point of a right elbow looked to land on Vera's eye socket, prompting the stoppage. Look for Jones to fight Ryan Bader or the winner of Forrest Griffin v. Antonio Nogueira.(Jon Jones pictured)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Here is Bas Rutten explaining a run-in with Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher at a charity golf event. Apparently Bas accidently stepped on Urlacher's footwear. Rutten is a former HW UFC champ and King of Pancrase.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The Ultimate Fighter 11 premiers this Wednesday night on Spike TV immediately after Ultimate Fight Night 21. Dana White announced long ago that former UFC 205 pound champs Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell would coach opposing teams on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. The cast will start with 28 fighters putting 14 in the house on the first night. Two losing fighters will fight a wild-card bout after the first round.(Tito Ortiz pictured)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

UFC 111 will be broadcast live this Saturday from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The main event pits UFC's 170 pound champion Georges St. Pierre against upstart UK challenger Dan Hardy. In the co-main event, former UFC champ Frank Mir will fight bruising wrestler Shane Carwin for the interim title.

MAIN CARD

Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy- Georges St. Pierre (19-2, 13-2 UFC) will be looking for his seventh straight win and fifth straight title defense in this welterweight title match. St. Pierre should be able to take down UK's Dan Hardy at will if he chooses.

Expect St. Pierre to come out pushing the pace and using his athleticsm. Georges is a sure fire future Hall of Famer, with career victories over Mayhem Miller, BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes and many more.(GSP throwing a high kick against Matt Hughes)

Dan Hardy (24-6, 4-0 UFC) has been on a tear in the UFC, using his underrated striking ability. Look for him to try to keep the fight standing and outstrike St. Pierre. In Hardy's last bout, he defeated Mike Swick via unanimous decision by winning most of the exchanges and landing some heavy shots to wobble Swick. Hardy has also defeated Akihiro Gono, Marcus Davis and Rory Markham.(Dan Hardy pictured)

Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir- This fight is for the interim UFC heavyweight championship and will be five rounds of stellar action. Look for Carwin to throw heavy bombs Mir's way, closing the distance and beating up Mir against the fence.

Mir (13-4, 11-4 UFC) will want to keep distance, using his kickboxing, or getting the fight to the ground where the BJJ black belt has an advantage in his submission game. However, getting Carwin, an NCAA division 2 wrestling champ, to the ground will be a tough task. Mir is a former UFC champ with career wins over Antonio Nogueira, Tim Sylvia, Brock Lesnar and Cheick Kongo.(Frank Mir pictured)

Carwin (11-0, 3-0 UFC) has never been out of the first round with his longest match lasting a mere 2 minutes 11 seconds. His three matches in the UFC have resulted in a 44 second KO of Christian Wellisch, a minute and thirty second TKO of Neil Wain and a minute and nine second TKO of Gabriel Gonzaga. Carwin suffered a broken nose in the Gonzaga fight before unleasing a blitzkrieg attack on the BJJ blackbelt.(Shane Carwin pictured)

Ben Saunders vs. Jon Fitch- After Thiago Alves was forced out of the UFC 111 card due to an abnormal CT scan of the brain, Ben Saunders volunteered to face Fitch. Look for Ben Saunders to attempt to utilize his height and reach advantage from the outside. I would expect Fitch, an All-American wrestler to try to get the fight to the ground.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Bellator Fighting Championships has announced the official line-up of its season two 145 pound tournament. The winner will bank a cool 100 thousand dollars and fight the winner from season 1, Joe Soto.

You can catch Bellator on Fox Sports Net on Thursday nights, with highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo. The 170 pound field will soon be announced which is absolutely stacked.

Here is an odd MMA v. Boxing exhibitionn fight pitting Japanese MMA superstar Masakatsu Funaki against former boxing champ Roberto Duran. The rules included an 8 second ground period and limited clinching. There are rumors as to the authenticity of the match.

Funaki(39-13) is a founding member of Pancrase and MMA legend with career wins over Guy Mezger, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten and kickboxing legend Semmy Schilt.

Duran(103-16) is a boxing legend, most famous for his trilogy of bouts with Sugar Ray Leonard.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Here is Akhiro Gono fighting Hayato Sakurai at K-1 Dynamite which took place on 12/31/09. Gono recently defeated Diego Gonzalez via unanimous decesion at Sengoku - Raiden Championships this past weekend to get his third straight victory.

Here is Jens Pulver fighting Duane "Bang" Ludwig from UCC/TKO 12 - Adreneline which took place on 1/25/03 in Montreal, Canada. Pulver looks to be on the verge of retirement following his loss to Javier Vasquez in the WEC. Bang Ludwig is scheduled to appear on the UFC: Versus 1 card later this month.

UFC will have its first show on Versus on March 21, 2010 at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. So far, the card has 11 rumored fights, but only 3 confirmed for the main TV broadcast.

The main event pits the uber athlete Jon "Bones" Jones against Muay Thai specialist Brandon Vera. This fight should see Brandon Vera to attempt to keep the fight standing while throwing more precise kicks and punches from distance. Jones may look to slug with Vera before going for a takedown.

Jon Jones (9-1, 3-1 UFC) is looking to come back from a devastating DQ loss to Matt Hamill. Jones was dominating the fight before throwing illegal elbows to a downed and near finished Matt Hamill. Jones has looked excellent in his UFC fights with wins over Stephen Bonnar, Andre Gusmao and Jake O'Brien.(Jon Jones pictured)

Brandon Vera (11-4, 7-4 UFC) will be trying to rebound from a controversial decision loss to Randy Couture. Vera started his career in the heavyweight division before a loss to Tim Sylvia sent him to 205. Vera's biggest win was a TKO over Frank Mir. He has other wins over Krzysztof Soszynski, Reese Andy and Justin Eilers.(Brandon Vera pictured)

Junior Dos Santos v. Gabriel Gonzaga- This fight has a good chance to be over in a hurry. Dos Santos (10-1, 4-0 UFC) has been throwing heavy hands during his tenure in the UFC, KO'ing Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel, Stefan Struve and making Cro Cop submit to punches. Dos Santos will look to throw his signature big power punches to add another KO to his resume and get closer to a title shot.(Junior Dos Santos pictured)

Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4, 7-3 UFC) has had an up and down UFC career. Gonzaga started out destroying Kevin Jordan, Fabiano Scherner, Carmelo Marrero and then scoring a massive head kick KO over Mirko Cro Cop. After a loss to Randy Couture, Gonzaga has wins over Justin McCulley, Josh Hendricks and a controversial win over Chris Tuchscherer after a low blow. Gonzaga may look to get the fight to the ground where the BJJ blackbelt has an edge.(Gabriel Gonzaga throwing a head kick on Cro Cop)Paul Buentello v. Cheick Kongo- All signs point to this fight being a stand-up war. Buentello and Kongo are both top level kickboxers who will be looking for a KO. Kongo (14-6, 7-4 UFC) has been up and down, typically having problems with top level submission artists.

Paul Buentello (27-11, 3-2 UFC) has scored 17 KO's in his MMA career and is notorious for avoiding the ground and looking for big shots. Buentello has recently been training in Colorado with Trevor Whitman and the Greg Jackson crew.

James Irvin v. Alessio Sakara- Striker James Irvin (14-5, 3-4 UFC) is rebounding from a knee injury and other setbacks that have forced him out of competition since his loss to Anderson Silva in July 2008. Alessio Sakara (14-7, 5-4 UFC) meanwhile is riding a two fight win streak defeating Thales Leites and Joe Vedepo.

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